A Company of Heroes
by K2JC
Summary: Well, I guess getting blown up by a Panzer-IV means getting thrown in a different reality... Crazy, I know but that's the truth. But that's not all. Somehow me, Tony, a British Paratrooper and a Russian Sniper ended up joining a Military Academy as instructors and teachers. Betty, if you could see me now. -Pfc. Daniel 'Gibs' Gibson, Able Company
1. VC2: A Company of  Heroes Ch 1

First Sergeant James 'Jim' Cross

September 19, 1944

Arnhem, Netherlands

"Come on, let's go!"

"Fall back! This area is lost."

"Go! I'll hold them off."

"Cross, get back here! Cross!"

Jim jumped over some sandbags and made his way over to the unoccupied Vickers Gun. He pulled the charging handle back MG and fired at the advancing Germans. This was a disaster for them. They were under heavy fire from three sides. 1st Battalion disintegrated and his Battalion was falling back. The South Staffordshires were pushed back after a failed attempt to take the high ground and the 11th were overrun despite not being heavily involved.

Jim grit his teeth and gunned down any German he could see. He saw someone join him from the corner of his eye. He looked to his right and saw Private Harold 'Harry' Black. The private looked at him and said "Can't let you have all the glory, Jim."

He raised his Lee Enfield No.4 and fired at the Grenadiers on the far side.

"Harry, cover me. Reloading."

Jim reloaded the Vickers while Harry kept on firing. The Private saw Panzergrenadiers, armed with STG 44s, ran towards them.

"Hurry up, Jim. We got Panzergrenadiers and they look quite mad."

"Got it!"

Jim cocked the gun and fired, halting the Panzergrenadiers in their tracks and suppressing them. Harry reloaded his gun but saw something land by his feet. His eyes widened and quickly grabbed the stick grenade and threw it back at the Germans.

"Return to sender, Jerry!"

Jim heard the Vickers run out of bullets and was about to reload it but found that there were no more ammo boxes left.

"I'm out!"

He grabbed his Sten Mk.2 and fired. The Panzergrenadiers saw that the Vickers was out of commission so they charged at the two.

"Come on, ya bloody bastards!"

"Come get some, Jerry!"

Unbeknownst to them, a Panzerkampfwagen Tiger Ausf. B was approaching their location. Jim and Harry saw the Panzergrenadiers fall back. Harry smiled "Look at them run off, Jim. We can still get back to Battalion in time for supper."

"I don't think so, Harry." Jim shook his head "It's never this easy. Did you hear that?"

"Tank?"

The smoke cleared in front of them and the two were met with the sight of a King Tiger, it's barrel staring right back at them.

"Run!"

Jim and Harry turned tail and ran for their lives. The King Tiger didn't move but it's barrel followed their movement. Jim panted as he dodged tank traps, sandbags and dead bodies.

"Come on, Harry! Keep going!"

"Right behind y-"

Jim heard an explosion and looked behind him. He saw Harry behind an overturned car. He quickly ran to his side to get him up before the Tiger could reload. As he reached his friend, he was met with a horrendous sight. Everything Harry had below the belt was gone.

"Oh, God. Harry! Come on, mate."

Harry coughed out blood and held out his hand. Jim grabbed his hand and tried to pull him towards the crater.

"Come on! Come on!"

"I-it..."

"Save your strength, mate!"

"It... reloads."

Jim looked down at Harry and saw him staring at the King Tiger, the sun shining over it. He stared at Harry and the Private was staring blankly at the tank. Jim closed Harry's eyes before numbly walking towards the tank. His eyes found themselves staring at the bodies he passed by.

'The boys and Jerry. Barely even recognize some of them. Poor sods. Well, I'll be joining them soon anyway. Better to die here than rot in Jerry's labor camps.'

He stopped just as the barrel was pointing directly at him. He threw off his helmet and was prepared to be blown to hell but not before taking one last smoke. He took out a cig and his Pop's lighter before putting the stick between his teeth and lighting it up. Surprisingly, the tank let him finish his smoke before the Tommy threw the cigarette butt away. He opened his arms wide and yelled "Come on, you goosestepping fuckers! I'm right here!"

"What are you waiting for, Jerry?! Come on!"

He then raised his middle finger at the tank "Fick dich, you fucking Kraut!"

He closed his eyes and waited for his end. The last thing he did was drop his Pop's lighter on the ground before pain followed by the darkness enveloped him.

~Line Break~

December 25, 1944

Corporal Anthony 'Tony' Castellano

Bastogne, Belgium

Tony sat on a chair in the shed and played with the lighter in his hands. He only met Jimmy back in Arnhem but they got along great. Unfortunately, the Brit died a few days after he met him. This lighter was all that was left of him. The little thing was found next to a crater. It didn't take a genius to figure out what happened poor Jimmy.

"Tony."

Tony looked up and saw Private First Class Daniel 'Gibs' Gibson holding two steaming cup of water. The 101st barely had anything left. Resources were short and so was their ammo. The weather was shit and Jerry demanded their surrender. He's still laughing at what General McAuliffe's reply.

He took the offered cup and raised it "Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas."

The two sat in comfortable silence. Gibs pulled out a picture of his girl. He's been doing that since basic. Hoping to get through this war and have his girl back in his arms. Tony, though, he thought the man was naive but that was probably because he didn't have a girl of his own. Hell, he didn't even have the boys anymore. Turned tail as soon as they got word that he got caught. But he didn't regret getting caught. He got to join the 101st. Then Able Company became his family.

"Let me tell ya, Gibs. I wish I had my own girl back home. Hell, I wish she'd be as pretty as yours."

Gibs shook his head and placed the photo back to his pocket. He took out a journal and began writing down the events of today.

"Don't worry, Tony. I'm sure you'll find somebody. Just... promise me it won't be a whore or something along the line. Alright?"

Tony laughed and was about to drink from his cup when series of explosions boomed across Bastogne. The two jumped to their feet and grabbed their weapons. Tony had an M1A1 Carbine while Gibs had an M1 Garand. They rushed to cover inside one of the buildings and head to the third floor to get a better look outside.

"What do you see?"

"Oh, God. They blew up the Medic Station."

Tony cursed under his breath and moved closer to the window. "Jesus... "

He could hear gunfire from different directions. He moved to another window and saw explosions and flashes of light from other sections of Bastogne.

"We gotta regroup. Find Vastano. Come on, Gibs."

Tony made a break for it and ran downstairs. Gibs followed after and the two ran out the building, intent on falling back to the CP. On the way, Paratroopers of the 101st were scattering everywhere. Either finding a good place to dig in or trying to regroup with their squads. Unfortunately for them, a column of Panzers and infantry entered the sector and began firing at the Paratroopers.

"Panzers! Jerry broke through the lines!"

"Fall back! Fall back to the CP!"

"Johnson, move your ass!"

"MG42! Run!"

"Aaaahhh! I'm pinned!"

"Someone tell George to take those MGs out!"

"I'm on i-"

"Carter!"

"Carter's down. Where the Hell's the goddamn medic?"

"The medic's dead!"

Tony and Gibs vaulted over the broken wall and joined the other Paratroopers.

"Name, Private?" Tony asked the soldier who pulled Carter's corpse out of the German's line of fire. The soldier took Carter's tags and turned to Tony.

"Private Lawrence, sir!"

"Any of you got a sniper rifle?"

"George has it, sir. But he's on the third floor of that Café."

The Private pointed towards the building across from them. From the third floor, Tony could see the barrel of an M1903A4 sticking out but it wasn't shooting and the barrel wasn't facing the Germans. He looked at the road and at the advancing German Armor Column before turning to the forest of the Paratroopers.

"Alright, here's what we're gonna do. Me and Gibs are gonna run over there and get that sniper. We'll take out those MG crews. Give us cover fire when we run. Once it's clear, regroup in the café. We'll fall back to the CP or maybe find a radio operator and await further orders. Understood?"

"Sir!"

"Good." Tony nodded and turned to Gibs "On three. One... Two... Three!"

The two vaulted over the broken wall and ran for the café. The Paratroopers stood from their cover and opened fire on the Volksgrenadiers that spotted the two. Tony was the first to reach the building and slammed his shoulder on the door. He quickly ran up the stairs and on to the third floor. He kicked open the door and ran inside but was tackled to the ground.

Tony found himself underneath a Volksgrenadier who was trying to stab him with a knife. Tony gave it his all in keeping the knife back and gritted his teeth.

"Fuck you!"

He slammed his forehead against the German and pushed him off. He punched the Volksgrenadier in the face and pushed him against the open window. Tony took out one of his grenades and pulled the pin before stuffing it inside the German's mouth. He then kicked the German out of the window and watched him fall from the their floor. As soon as the German hit the ground, the grenade exploded. Leaving a bloody mess on the sidewalk. Tony sighed and grabbed his fallen helmet just as Gibs entered the room, an M1A1 Thompson in his hands instead of the M1 Garand.

"Where the hell you've been?"

"Lost my gun after a grenade blew me into the building. Private Sanders gave it to me before his head got shot off. Poor bastard."

"Well, you're fine so cover me."

Tony walked over to the other window where the dead body of a Paratrooper lay on the wall beside it. He kneeled in front of the body and took the tags and ammo before taking the M1903A4 from the window and checking if it was loaded. Satisfied, he looked through the scope and saw Lawrence and the other Paras pinned down by the MG. He then aimed at the MG crew and focused on the gunner.

Tony took a deep breath and held it as he centered on the gunner's cheek. His finger hovered over the trigger and waited. Without warning, he pulled the trigger the same time he released his breath. He quickly pulled back the bolt to eject the spent casing before doing the same until the MG crew was no more. He still had two shots left and took aim at the Volksgrenadier Squad moving towards the pinned down Paratroopers. He fired a shot at an unfortunate Volksgrenadier who turned to face his direction and watched as the bullet tore right between the soldier's eyes. This caused the other Volksgrenadiers to turn to their dead comrade and give the other Paras the opportunity to gun them down from the back.

The Volksgrenadiers fell one by one and Lawrence and his Paras moved out of cover and made their way towards the café. Halfway there, the Paratrooper Squad were gunned down by an approaching Panzer IV's mounted MG42. Tony quickly aimed at the gunner and fired. The bullet struck the left side of the gunner's face and the German went limp. Unfortunately, the Panzer's turret slowly turned to their window.

"Gibs, ru-"

He was cut off as the tank round decimated the window and the section of the café they were in.

~Line Break~

September 1941

Anya Loginova

Outskirts of Moscow

Anya fired a shot from her Mosin-Nagant and struck a Pioneer in the eye. She aimed at another German but felt herself be pulled away by her partner, Dimitri.

"We have to fall back, Anya!"

"Not yet!"

She pushed his arm away and aimed at the Volksgrenadier Squad. Dimitri cursed the woman before grabbing her by the shoulders and forcefully dragging her towards the bridge, their comrades already running past them.

"Let me go!"

"Are you crazy, woman!? If we stay here, we die!"

"Then you go!"

They reached the bridge just in time as the German tanks rolled in. A Panzer-IV aimed it's turret at a Conscript Squad and fired, taking out half of them. Volksgrenadiers walked beside the tank, Sturmgewehr 44s and Kar 98ks roaring loudly as it sent bullets on the Soviet soldiers' backs. Dimitri pulled Anya away as the woman moved to fire her weapon again.

"A sniper is useless to a tank Anya. Fall back, dammit!"

"I'm staying here even if it kills me!"

"Fine!"

She pushed him away and crouched as she took aim. She wasn't really doing this for the Fatherland but for the deaths of her family. If she were to die here, she would die fighting. She didn't sign up just to stay back and look pretty. She joined the army to fight and kill the fascist bastards.

She aimed down her sights and was about to pull the trigger when an explosion roared behind her. She looked back to see the bridge was gone. Along with her comrades. She stood up and numbly walked to the edge of the bridge.

"...Dimitri."

She looked down and saw nothing but debris and bodies. She looked up to her superiors across the bridge and saw Lieutenant Isakovich look down at the debris in sadness. Colonel Churkin patted the Lieutenant in the shoulder before telling him to get in the truck. Anya, and five others, watched the truck leave along with the train.

'They left us. They destroyed the bridge and left us.'

Anya's grip on her rifle tightened before turning around. She didn't aim, she just fired. She wasn't about to let these fascists take her alive or kill her without a fight. The Conscripts with her followed her lead. At least the Germans won't have the satisfaction of killing cowards. They fought tooth and nail until two squads of Volksgrenadiers were wiped out. It was there did the Panzer decided it was time to end it. It drove towards them and stopped a few feet away.

The Soviets stood their ground and fired their weapons, not caring if it did any damage. One of them even threw a grenade but it was ineffective. The Panzer finally had enough of shrugging bullets and fired the MG34 on it's hull at the Soviets. The ones on Anya's left were the first to be shot down, soon followed by the ones on her right. She looked at the bleeding bodies of her comrades and fired her last shot at the tank. The Panzer didn't fire yet and the Germans were walking towards the tank, intent to see what would the lone Soviet woman would do.

The Panzer's hatch opened and the tank commander, a man in his late 40s, jumped down. All the German soldiers raised their weapons and aimed at the woman as the tank commander walked towards her. He raised his hand towards her cheek and Anya shoved it away.

"Oh, this one has some fight in it." He tauntingly called out over his shoulder before turning back to the woman "How does it feel to fight in a war, woman? To see the power of the Third Reich?"

Anya didn't respond. Content in simply glaring at the man. The tank commander laughed and grabbed her jaw and pulled her close.

"We can do this the easy way and enjoy it or the hard way. Trust me, choose the latter and this won't be fun... for you."

'Good luck fucking a corpse, bastard.'

Was her last thought before punching him in the side of the head and stealing his Luger P08. Before the Germans could fire their weapons, Anya placed the barrel of the gun under her jaw and pulled the trigger.

~Line Break~

Tony gasped and his body shot up. His eyes frantically looked everywhere while his mind tried to recall what happened. He remembered taking out the MG crew, seeing Lawrence and the Paras gun downed by a Panzer-IV and staring straight at the tank as it fired a shell and destroyed the room he and Gibs.

'Gibs!'

The room finally registered in his mind and he could see that he was in an infirmary. He looked to the other bed on his right and saw Gibs sleeping peacefully, the picture of his girl, Betty, clutched tightly in his hand. Tony noticed the Sergeant was still in his uniform and no visible injury whatsoever. He looked down on himself and didn't see any bandages or any tears in his uniform. He was pretty sure they shouldn't even be alive after that explosion.

"Finally awake, mate?"

Tony turned to the bed on his left and found the source of the voice. He couldn't believe his eyes. Right fucking there, smirking at him with an unlit cigarette between his lips was First Sergeant James 'Jim' Cross.

"No fucking way... Jimmy?"

The Brit nodded his head and spread his arms wide "In the flesh. So you finally died, yeah?"

"Getting shelled by a Panzer does that ya fucking Brit."

"Oi. If you think that hurt, imagine getting blown up by a fucking Tiger."

The two stood up and hugged. Tony patted him on the back before pulling away. He smiled and looked around before asking "So... this heaven? I'll admit. I was thinking it would be more, I don't know, poofy."

"Poofy?"

"Yeah. Like clouds, ya know? Isn't that what they paint in church?"

"Maybe. So how's the war going?" Jim asked.

"Well after Arnhe-"

"Gah!"

The two turned to Gibs as he shot up from the bed. Doing the exact same thing as Tony did when he woke up. Tony turned to Jim and nodded for him to follow. They walked over to Gibs and Tony brought a hand on the Sergeant's shoulder.

"Hey, Gibs. You're alright. You're dead."

"What?"

"We're in Heaven, man."

"The fuck are you talking about? ...sir."

Tony chuckled and patted him on the back "Just as I said. We're dead. I think. Maybe. I don't know. But I'm pretty sure we didn't survive getting blown to high Hell by that Panzer. The only thing I could think of is we're in Heaven. I mean, that's how it usually works right? You die, you go to Heaven. You die doing something bad, you go to Hell."

Gibs shook his head and looked at Betty's photo before tucking it in one of his pockets "The concept of Heaven and Hell and Death is more complex than that, Lieutenant. I don't really think we're dead."

"What else is there? Jimmy here got blown up by a Tiger and we got blown up by a Panzer. We all died and went to Heaven. What's so hard to understand about that?"

Gibs sighed and ran a hand through his short, brown hair "You know what, forget it. I'm done. How about we just figure out where we are, okay?"

Gibs stood up and made his way to the door, followed by Tony.

"I keep telling you. We're in Heaven, Gibs. Nothing else matters."

"I find that hard to believe, sir."

Jim watched them go and laughed "Bloody Yanks." He turned towards the bed with the last occupant in the room "Oi, lady. You wanna stop pretending to be asleep and get off your pretty little arse or what?"

Anya sighed as she sat up and glared at the Englishman. Guess this man was sharper than the other two. Of course he is. The two were Americans. As Anya stood up, she took time to observe the man.

He was actually pretty tall, and dare she say, handsome. 6 feet tall. Square jawed with a little shadow and rugged features. Unkempt light brown hair and chocolate brown eyes. He didn't wore his uniform top but rather wore a white short sleeved shirt. Bandages were wrapped around his forearms and hands but she saw no sign of any injury.

Jim coughed, seeing her stare at him for a long time "Eyes up here, luv. So what'll be?"

Anya turned away and looked down on herself. Gone were her baggy, camouflage overalls and was replaced with a white, button up shirt under a blue coat with a red collar and cuffs. A red plaid skirt and a pair of knee socks and brown shoes. The clothes felt nice. Nicer than anything the Red Army had given her. Though the skirt was too short for her liking. It feels like it was too easy for someone to peek under it.

"Well...?" Jim gestured for the door "Ladies first."

Anya snorted and walked passed him but not before replying with a dry voice "What a gentleman."

Jim watched her go, eyeing the sway of her hips and the noticeably short skirt. He wouldn't have mind seeing a bit of eye candy during the war.

~Line Break~

"As you can see, you are not in Heaven."

Gibs smirked as he crossed his arms and looked at Tony smugly.

"Told you."

Tony scoffed and turned back to the old man in front of them who introduced himself as the Academy's Headmaster, Laurence Kluivert. The Academy, Lanseal, was big. Bigger than anything Tony had ever seen.

"How exactly did we get here? Last I checked, me and Gibs got blown up by a tank. How the hell are we still alive?"

"Ah, yes. Class G found the four of you unconscious in the Drill Grounds. Fortunately, Mr. Hardins ordered his squad to bring you to the Hospital. The four of you have been unconscious for almost a day. Luckily, none of you showed any injuries whatsoever. But that begs the question." The Headmaster's eyes narrowed as he stared at the two "Who are you and what are your intentions in my school?"

"Nothing, man." Tony replied. He was just given a second chance in life. No way was he gonna waste it. Besides, the whole place is crawling with students who are taught to be a soldier. Teenagers who can use a gun and shoot 'em down if the Headmaster orders them to "We just wanna know happened to us. Not everyday you get blown up by a tank and live another day. We're just confused... sir."

'Haven't heard him call anyone sir since... Jackson.' Gibs thought solemnly as he was reminded of the death of Able Company's CO. Vastano was a good leader. Jackson trained him after all but Tony never called the new CO sir. He always called him by his last name or Johnny.

Headmaster Kluivert kept his eyes narrowed before demanding "Name, Rank and Unit, soldier."

Tony straightened his body in attention.

"Anthony Castellano. Corporal. Able Company Paratroopers, sir."

Kluivert then turned his gaze at Gibs.

"Daniel Gibson. Private First Class. Able Company Paratroopers, sir."

"Paratroopers?"

"Death from above." Tony replied.

Kluivert hummed to himself before turning around, hands clasped behind his back.

"Follow me to my office. We'll talk there."

The two looked at each other before following the Headmaster down the corridor.

~Line Break~

It was an hour after they left to look for Tony and Gibs did Jim and Anya decided to look for them later and tour the area. The two soon found themselves outside of a large warehouse. They could hear the sounds of metalwork going on from the inside.

"What do you suppose that is?"

"I don't know. I don't work here."

Jim snorted "Cheeky woman."

"Excuse me."

The two turned to the soft voice and spotted a teenage girl with short black hair under a military hat. She was wearing the same clothes Anya had but with a blue blazer over it.

"Are you Mister James Cross?"

"That's right, little miss. Who's asking?"

"The Headmaster wishes to talk to you in his office. He asked me to escort you there. Also, he said that Mr. Castellano has something to return to you."

James hummed in thought before looking at Anya "I'll fill you in later. Take a look around d the place, yeah?" He turned back to the student "Where to little miss?"

"Right this way, Mr. Cross."

Anya watched them go before looking back at the large warehouse. Might as well distract herself 'til they return.

~Line Break~

"Welcome, Mr. Cross. Please take a seat."

Tony let out a puff of smoke as Jim entered the room. With all the things the Headmaster told them and the proof he presented, Kluivert allowed the Paratrooper to smoke inside his office to... calm himself down. Gibs didn't show it but he was worried. Worried he wouldn't get to see Betty, his family and friends back in America. He didn't like smoking. Bad for the lungs the doctor said. But he was having second thoughts after Kluivert's revelation.

Jim took notice of the Americans state and wondered what the hell happened. He took a seat and the Headmaster gestured at the map that laid out on the desk.

"Are any of these familiar to you, Mr. Cross?"

Jim looked down and sure enough, the map was a tiny bit familiar. It looks vaguely like the Map of Europe but it looked like Norway, Sweden and Finland were missing. Hell, even jolly 'ole England was there but instead of seeing the name on the map, the label said ' United Kingdom of Edinburgh'. There were some things that stayed the same though. The Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean were still there.

'What the fuck?'

"The fuck is this, old man?"

"Before you is the map of Europa. And right now, you are in the Principality of Gallia. And as Headmaster of this academy, I formally welcome you to Lanseal Military Academy. But I must ask you this, Mr. Cross, what will you do now?"

Jim looked at the map then to Tony, who was on his second cigarette, then to Gibs, who was writing something down on his journal, lost in his own little world, before looking at the Headmaster.

Kluivert took out two glass cups from one of the drawers in his desk, followed by a bottle of whisky. He poured a bit on one cup before handing it to Jim. The Brit sighed and took the cup.

"Fuck it."

**_A/N:_****So this was something that went to my mind after going back to Company of Heroes 1 and 2. I don't know much about Valkyria Chronicles other than VC2. I finished the game back in my PSP and I still love that game to bits. CoH, on the other hand, I haven't finished Opposing Fronts and CoH 2 Main Campaign yet. If you're reading this, expect my characters to have their respective unit abilties. Something I wanna point out, if you're reading this, are character voices. Tony's voice is from the CoH Paratrooper, the one that sounds like Nolan North. Gibs sounds like the Rifleman from CoH 2. Jim is voiced by Adam Howden.**


	2. A Company of Heroes Ch 2

William had been wandering aimlessly through the forest for... Hell, he didn't even know anymore. He didn't know where he was or where his gunner, Horace, was for that matter. The last thing he remembered was driving a Universal Carrier near a bunker and burning the Boche inside before hightailing it when a Tiger II was spotted nearby. They were so close to regrouping with the Cromwells before the bloody bastard burst out of the trees and... William was pretty sure he was dead. Not wandering around another fucking forest. The driver sighed and shook his head. Wherever he was, at least he was armed. A STEN gun was better than nothing after all.

The Light Armour driver grumbled in annoyance as he tread through the bushes before entering a small clearing. His eyes went wide when he saw something other than fucking trees, rocks or shrubbery. There, in all it's glory, was a Sherman Firefly. William let out a laugh and ran over to the medium tank. It looked like it took a bit of damage but he wouldn't know until he looked inside. Bloody hell, maybe there's someone in there.

"Hello? Anyone in there?"

No answer. So much for that. Alone he may be but at least he's got a tank. It's far better than a Universal Carrier that's for sure. Now only if he had a gunner with him. William climbed up the tank and looked at the top-mounted Browning, fully armed and ready it seems. The driver opened the hatch only to stare straight into a barrel of a pistol. William raised his hands in surrender and slowly backed away as the owner of the gun came to view. From the moment he saw them, he knew this was going to be a kick in the arse if he didn't play it right.

Holding the pistol was a rather pretty looking woman with short, tied up, brown hair. She wore a grey uniform of sorts. Judging by the look on her face, she was definitely not happy to see him and he wasn't really enthused with the gun aiming right on his forehead. Then the woman began to speak. A language he did not really understand.

"Sorry, miss. But can you speak english, please? I can't understand a word you just said."

"English?"

"Certainly. William Turpin, at your service."

Slowly, the woman lowered the gun before holstering it. She climbed out of the tank and backed away to give her some space.

"Irina Andreyevna."

"Pleasure to meet you, miss. Uh, mind telling me what you were doing in this rather splendid Firefly?"

"Tank Commander but this one is not mine."

"Alright but... where's the crew?"

"No crew. Just me. I found it here hours ago. There was no one inside."

So much for having proper lads around. William lowered his hands and crossed his arms before looking at the woman, Irina.

"Do you know where we are?"

"No."

"That's bloody splendid." William muttered before looking back at Irina "Is the Firefly damaged in anyway?"

"No. Everything is... attached?"

"Splendid!"

William didn't waste time and entered the tank through the turrer hatch before making himself comfortable in the driver seat. Now this is definitely better than an old Universal Carrier. He closed the hatch and started the tank, feeling reassured with the sounds it made.

"Ah. Now that is the sound of a proper tank engine." He yelled out to the woman outside "Take a seat inside the turret, ma'am. Is the 17 Pounder loaded?"

Irina dropped inside and checked the turret, making sure it was indeed loaded before giving an affirmative. William smiled and took out his compass. Might as well head west. Maybe they'll find some of the lads or maybe even the yanks on the way.

"Where are you taking us, Turpin?"

"West. Hopefully, we'll run into Britain's finest or the yanks."

The Soviet woman was silent. Honestly, she wasn't sure what to do. She knew she was supposed to be dead along with her tank crew. They made a last stand for the Motherland against the fascist bastards but their numbers were too great and their armour had them outgunned. Penal Battalions. Conscripts. Shock Troops. She watched them get surrounded. They could not retreat so she did what she can for her brothers and sisters-in-arms. She circled the battlefield, avoiding AT weapons and flanking German tanks. A few other tanks joined her but when the remaining ground infantry finally retreated to safety, the enemy focused their attention on them. One by one they fell until she and her crew were the only one left. Death came when a Tiger I entered the field. They had four confirmed tank kills before the damned Tiger came. She waited for death. Instead, she ended up in the middle of a forest in God knows where, then she found the tank. The rest, as they say, is history.

~Line Break~

"Get in the fucking building or your dead!"

Avan and his group didn't need to be told twice and ran towards the café . On the building's doorway was one of the newly appointed teachers of the Academy. First Sergeant James 'Jim' Cross. The Tommy, as Anya called him, was set up by the building's window and firing his rifle at the Rebels who too were running for safety from their own Artillery Barrage. Avan grit his teeth as he and Zeri dragged Nichol to the café, their classmate left a trail of blood from the bullet wound on his leg while keeping pressure on another bleeding wound on his abdomen. Behind them, Anisette provided covering fire with her LMG. Sofia was the first inside and quickly took out her Ragnaid A. James ushered the rest of the cadets inside before shutting the door and clearing a table of the contents on top of it.

"Set him down here."

Avan and Zeri didn't need to be told twice and, gentle as they could, placed their wounded classmate on the table. Avan was about to call for the Veteran Engineer but she was already by his side before he could even get a word out.

"I'll take it from here, Avan."

Sofia gave him a loving smile. Something she saved solely for him.

"Okay. Thank you." Avan said with a grateful smile before placing his hand on Nichol's shoulder and giving him a comforting squeeze "You'll be alright. You're gonna be okay. Just think about, uh, Franca."

"F-Franca? Franca's... " Nichol coughed before continuing "Gonna kill me."

"You'll be fine, man."

Avan gave his shoulder one last squeeze before walking over to James who was looking out the window, watching as the shells bombarded the town. Anisette was crouched and had set up her LMG at the window left of the door while Zeri stood behind her. A solemn look on his face as he watched the town get bombarded by artillery. The redheaded Squad Leader grimaced at the thought of what happened. Their mission was simple. Take the town and drive the Rebels back. Sergeant James was there as well. When they're in the Academy, the new arrivals were their instructors. But on the field, they were part of Squad G's combat roster. Avan... didn't really listen to what the Headmaster or Brixy said about it but Zeri and Cosette gave him the gist of it. Though he could do without Zeri explaining it to him like he was three. The mission went smoothly at first and they were almost done but the Rebels had other ideas.

One moment, they were shooting at each other. The next, they were running for cover from the Artillery Barrage. Avan knew it was the Rebels. He certainly didn't call in the Artillery Strike. They didn't even have Artilleries with them to begin with. When the barrage hit, Squad G scattered. He, Zeri, Nichol, Anisette and Sofia managed to find each other through the chaos and stuck together to find cover. Along the way, some Rebels inside a building ambushed them. They couldn't stay in the streets for long so they decided to not engage the Rebels and retreat but they got Nichol on the leg before another shot him in the abdomen. The building the Rebels were hiding in, fortunately, got hit with an artillery shell and forced them to leave the building. That was when James called out to them from the café. Now here they were. Taking shelter in a building and praying that an artillery round won't hit the roof on their heads.

"Bloody wankers." James swore as he took off his helmet and ran a hand through his hair "Fucking unicorns shelled the town with their own lads still in it. If they can't have it, no one else can, I suppose."

"Is the lives of their own soldiers mean so little to them?" Avan muttered but it was loud enough for James to hear "Why would they do this?"

"Depends on who's the fucking wanker that's leading this unit? Some of our own Officers had little regard to the lives under their command. As long as the mission gets done, the number of lives lost are nothing."

Silence fell and only the sounds of explosions and screams were heard. Avan hoped and prayed that the rest of his Squad found cover and were safe from the chaos.

~Line Break~

Anya wouldn't admit it but the things she hated the most was indirect fire. Mortars and Artillery. The fascist bastards didn't need to see where you are, just your general location. Then, the barrage starts. You either run or find cover and hope you don't get hit on the way or your cover holds out long enough from the mortar rounds. She was a Sniper. She was used to moving away to different locations to avoid being seen by the enemy or staying on the perfect high ground to snipe them. Picking them off one by one without them being any wiser to where she was. The situation she was in? God, she fucking hated it.

The Soviet Sniper was currently taking refuge in a house, hoping the roof won't drop on her head. She gripped the Mosin-Nagant tightly in her hands, wondering if her second chance in life would be cut short by artillery fire. Her ears picked up screaming outside, there was always screaming when the world around you is exploding but the voice was familiar. Anya made her way to the window and saw through the smoke, Cosette and Marion. The short blonde was shouting for her comrades, hoping to find them and take shelter into the buildings.

"You two. Get inside now!"

Anya ran to the door and pulled it open, letting the two cadets inside. The two were panting heavily, trying to catch their breath after running outside and trying to avoid getting hit by the artillery. Cosette was the first to recover and the first thing she aske if Anya had seen Avan and Zeri or their other classmates. Sadly, Anya did not. The blonde was saddened at first before shaki g her head. She was confident that they managed to get to safety. Maybe even found some of their classmates along the way. The Sniper didn't comment but she could respect the Medic's confidence in her comrades. Meanwhile, Marion was subtley eyeing the weapon in Anya's hands. Pretending to look at the painting on the wall but was actually looking at the sniper rifle from the corner of her eye. She wasn't a sniper but she wondered what the feel of the Soviet's weapon in her hands would be like. Oh, just the thought of stroking it...

Anya saw the cadet's expression and slowly backed away. The Sniper moved towards the window and grimaced before making her way up the stairs. This, of course, garnered the attention of the other two.

"Where are you going?" Cosette asked.

"Second floor. Get a better vantage point."

"Okay but just be careful."

"да. Will do."

Cosette watched the Sniper leave and moved to speak to Marion when her radio cackled, followed by Lavinia's voice.

"Squad G, be advised. A Mechanized Infantry company just entered the town! The artillery knocked out my tank and I'm taking cover in the church. Tanks range from Light to Heavy with a squad of infantry escorts each. Do not engage. I say again, do not engage. You hear me? Avan, we need to retreat. We can't take 'em all on."

"This is Avan. Regroup at the church. I repeat, regroup at the church. We're not leaving until everyone's there and accounted for. I have Zeri, Sofia, James, Anisette and Nichol with me. Looks like artillery's done. We're heading for the church now."

"Understood. I'll- Wait. What is that?"

~Line Break~

Lavinia peeked over her window to see an olive green colored tank roll into the street. It didn't have any markings that showed where it's allegiances lie but even so, the Rebels had no qualm in shooting it anyway. A Medium Tank fired it's main gun at the front of the new tank which Lavinia noticed had sandbags acting as add-on armor. The round bounced off the tank and the Tank Commander watched as the new tank's turret turned to the GRA tank and fired a devastating round that had the Medium Tank smoking, forcing it to retreat. The new tank didn't move and Lavinia guessed that it was reloading. The Light Tank, on the other hand, turned to leave and made it a good distance but the new tank had finished reloading and destroyed the whole thing with one shot.

Lavinia, on instinct, ducked down just in time to avoid a sniper from blowing off her head. Then the sounds of Lances firing followed and she heard the rockets hit the tank. The Tank Commander moved to another window and risked it, peeking out see that there was a squad of Rebels taking cover behind some rubble. She saw two Rebel Lancers and two Rebel Shocktroopers. The tank rotated it's body so it faced the Rebels and Lavinia watched as it fired a round that killed one Shocktrooper and one Lancer. The remaining Rebels ran from their cover abd headed right for the church.

Before they could get close, the two Rebels were gunned down by an SMG. Courtesy of one Franca Martin. The cadet lowered her weapon but quickly ducked into cover as the sniper shot at her. The tank noticed this and turned it's turret towards the building the sniper was hiding in. One shot and the section of the building where the sniper was hiding was turned into rubble. Without anymore Rebels in the area, Lavinia cautiously got out of the church before running over to Franca to make sure she wasn't hit.

"Are you okay? Any hits?"

"I'm fine, Lavinia." The Shocktrooper reassured before eyeing the tank "I've never seen a tank like that one."

"It looks a lot like a Federation tank but the main gun's different and the shells it used was strong enough to heavily damage a Medium Tank in one hit. Also, I don't see any Federation markings on it."

As the two observed the tank, the hatch on top of the turret opened and someone climbed out. The person waved them over before a second person climbed out. This one wearing a different uniform than the first.

"Afternoon, ladies." The second greeted with an accent similar to James but less rough.

"Thanks for taking out those tanks. They would've spelled bad for the rest of our squad."

"No thanks necessary, miss. Little shits shot first anyway. Anywho. I believe introductions are in order." The man cleared his throat and straightened his uniform "William Turpin. At your service."

"Irina Andreyevna." The woman introduced herself with a strange accent.

"Lavinia Lane." The Tank Commander spoke next.

"Franca Martin."

"Splendid. Now that we're all well and acquainted, would you ladies be so kind to tell us were we are? We've been driving around that bloody bugger for a time now and we still have no idea where we are."

"The town of Anthem."

"Come again?"

"It's... hard to explain."

And indeed it was. After the initial appearance of Lanseal's new 'Teachers', Professor Brixham filled her and Avan in about the situation. Unfortunately, Class G's resident reporter 'overheard' them and by tomorrow, the whole Academy knew. So much for secrets, right? Even so, the four still had to teach them in some field or another as part of the deal with the Headmaster. The deal also states that they are to be part of Class G's combat roster. Avan didn't really mind much. He saw it as a way to make friends with the newcomers despite the obvious age gap and the fact that they were already soldiers of a different army, nation, world even.

"Right. Explain later." Irina said as she pointed at a group running towards them from down the street "We have company."

Lavinia looked to where the woman was pointing at and saw Avan and his group making their way towards them. Franca saw this and quickly ran over to her brother, proceeding to envelope him in a bone-crushing hug. Avan smiled before tilting his head in confusion at the sight of the tank. James, however, had a large grin on his face as he recognized the tank.

"Well. Well. Well. Look at this fucking beauty." The Tommy stated as he wlked over to the tank before his eyes landed on William "Look at that. Someone that's not a yank or a russian. First Sergeant James Cross."

James held out his hand and William shook it.

"Glad to meet you. William Turpin. 11th Armoured Division. I have to ask. Where the bloody hell are we?"

"I'll explain it to you later but we got problems." James frowned "We got enemy Mechanized Infantry around the town. They got Heavy Armour with them. We spotted one on the way here. We have to wait for the others to regroup here. Until then, we have to hold this church."

"Say no more. I'll just have to find the perfect parking spot. Oh! And, uh, maybe spare some lads to help us with the Firefly. We don't have a loader or a gunner. Irina's juggling between loader, gunner and commander."

James eyes turned to Lavinia, who was talking to Avan, and motioned his head towards her.

"That woman over there. She's a Tank Commander. She can certainly help you with the tank."

"Finally, one more and we have ourselves a proper crew." The driver said with a smile on his face "Irina can spot targets. We'll be setting up over there on that wrecked building. Left flank and our arse are covered by the wall and building and we have a good line-of-sight of the area. I'll be the loader for now. Just find me gunner."

"I'll see what I can do." The Tommy then walked over to Avan and Lavinia "William says the tank's shorthanded with the crew. There's only two of them in there. They need a loader and a gunner. But since they'll be staying in one spot, William's going to be the loader for now."

"Lavinia, can you- "

"On it."

The Tank Commander quickly made her way over to the tank, excited at the prospect of seeing it's interior and the rounds they used. Avan watched her go before turning to James.

"That's two more from your world. Do you think they... died too before they got here?"

"Probably. Don't know where or how you they got the tank though."

"What is that thing anyway?"

"Sherman VC or 'Firefly'. The thing was built by the Yanks and our lads modified it. The main gun's replaced by a good 17 Pounder gun. More powerful than the 75 mm gun it usually has. The coaxial gun was removed so we can put more ammo inside at the cost of Anti-infantry weapons. But with that .50 Cal. on top, the bugger still has some Anti-infantry capabilities."

"Avan."

The two looked to Zeri as the Darcsen approached them with a serious look which was not an uncommon sight.

"We just received a radio transmission from HQ. They want us to hold this position until Squads A and C arrive. The Headmaster was adamant on not loosing another territory to the Rebels."

Avan sighed and ran a hand through his hair. This was just great. They had them on the run. Then the Rebels had them on the run. Now they have to hold off the Rebels until Squads A and C arrive to reinforce them. This was taking longer than he thought. It was supposed to be a simple mission after all. He shook his head. Doesn't matter. He was gonna hold position at the church anyway. He was adamant on not leaving anyone behind. If that means staying there until everyone was accounted for then so be it. With a determined look on his face, he gathered his Squad.

"Nichol, go to the top of the church's bell tower and provide sniper cover. Tell us the enemy's location if you see them."

"G-Got it."

"Anisette, set up your LMG on the second floor of that house. Provide suppressing fire. Franca, watch her back. Retreat to the church if it gets too much."

"You can count on me!/On it."

"Zeri, stay in the church and take out anyone who gets too close. Sofia, go with him."

"Of course./Understood."

"Good. James, you and me are gonna take cover behind Lavinia's wrecked tank. We can pick them off before they get anywhere close to our area."

"Alright."

Avan's radio cackled to life and Cosette's voice sounded through.

"Hello? Is anyone there? This is Cosette. I'm with Marion and Anya. We found Sigrid and Magari on the way and we're heading for the church now. We have tanks and infantry after u- Sigrid! Sigrid's hit. Magari help me with him. Anya. Marion, cover us. We're on our way now. Cover us!"

Avan grimaced and turned to his squad.

"You heard her. Everybody in position now!"

The group moved to their respective positions and the Firefly rolled towards the spot William mentioned. Inside the tank, William stopped the tank and moved over to where the rounds were. He opened the Pounder's slot and put in a fresh round while Lavinia quickly familiarized herself on the controls. Irina opened the turret's hatch and stuck her head out while looking through a pair of binoculars. The squad waited in baited breath for the others to arrive.

~Line Break~

Faculty Office, Lanseal Royal Military Academy

Tony looked down at the written report Hubert handed to him. It was a report from one of the Classes saying that they've encountered a wrecked transport of sorts with two intact weapons caches. The report described that one of the weapons inside was like his M1A1 Carbine but with a wooden stock rather than a folding one.

"A M1 Carbine." He muttered to himself before reading the rest of the report. Thankfully, the descriptions given weren't too vague or off and he was able to identify them. M1 Garands, M1 Carbines, M1903A4 Springfield, M9A1 Bazookas, Thompson SMGs, M2HB HMG and M1919A6 LMGs. A full Airborne Supply Drop package. Complete with Ammunitions and Fuel.

"Is it indeed your weapons?"

Tony looked up from his desk at Hubert and nodded.

"Airborne Supply Drop package. The plane must've been shot down before it could drop it. How'd a whole plane get here but not the crew, I have no idea."

"Then I'll be glad to inform you that those weapons have been transferred to the RD Building. They'll be kept their like any other newly developed weapons before it is field tested."

"Did you tell Gibs?"

"Not yet, I'm afraid." Hubert answered with a shake of his head "He seems to be busy with his Art Class."

"Of all the things he could've decided to teach, it was art. Did he ever tell you the reason why he wanted it?"

"He says it was a way to cope for students who... killed for the first time. There are other classes with similar purposes of course. Home Ec, for example. Some of our students find sewing to be relaxing."

"Alright. Alright. I get the picture."

"Although, he does seem intent on painting a perfect picture of a woman."

"It's Betty. He had plans if he ever survived the war. Guess that all went out the window when we... died."

Tony then looked back at the report and stood up.

"Anyway. I'm gonna go ahead and take a looksee at the weapons."

"What about your classes?"

"Victory Point Control exercises were suspended for the day." Tony answered with a wave of his hand "Class A and C were deployed last minute. For what, I have no idea. But orders came from the Headmaster himself."

~Line Break~

Tony whistled a tune as he left the Main Building and made his way to RD, greeting students and teachers alike who passed his way. From a small-time criminal to a Paratrooper to a fucking teacher. Never in his life did he even thought about getting a job. Let alone a teaching one. Mostly because of his history but given the fact that this was a second chance in life... Maybe things would be better in this one than the last. At least he hoped it would. Looking down on himself, he didn't really look much like a teacher. Considering he was wearing his BDU pants and boots but wore a short sleeve white shirt instead of his BDU top, he didn't look as professional as his fellow teachers. The only thing that told him he was part of Lanseal's staff was the blue armband with the symbol of the Academy on his left arm.

"Uhm, excuse me."

Tony turned to the source of the voice and saw a short teen with blonde hair tied into a pony tail, amber eyes and peach skin. She wore the Academy's Summer Uniform but had a long yellow orange tie rather than the standard short black one. It didn't take a genius to see the kid was a shy one.

"Anything I can help you with, Miss... "

"Oh. Percival. Emilia Percival." The short blonde answered "Uhm. I was wondering if you know where Class G is?"

"Sorry to disappoint you, kid. But Class G was deployed on a mission hours ago. They could be back later today or maybe tomorrow. You could speak to their advisor, Professor Brixham. You can find him in the Faculty."

"Thank you very much, Professor... "

Tony chuckled and waved his hand dismissively.

"Please. I'm far from a Professor, kid. Name's Tony Castellano. I'm the instructor for the Academy's Victory Point Control exercises. Good to meet you, kid." He held out his hand for her to shake to which Emilia gladly shook.

"Likewise, sir."

~Line Break~

"Guys, I have eyes on a platoon of Rebels heading this way. There's a Commander with them. Should I take the shot?"

"Not yet, Nichol." Avan answered through the radio "Wait until they're within the MGs' firing range. I'll call you when it's time."

"Got it. Holding fire for now."

James peeked over the wrecked tank they were using for cover and saw the approaching Rebel platoon. Cosette and her group had managed to lose their pursuers and reach the church. Sigrid was quickly treated and, along with Marion, was ordered to take position on the building adjacent to Anisette's. Cosette joined Avan and James by the tank while Magari stayed with Zeri and Sofia in the church. James didn't know where Anya went.

"They're about 7 yards from our spot." James whispered.

Avan nodded and radioed Nichol and Anya "Nichol, take the shot. Shoot the Commander first."

Inside the bell tower, Nichol lowered his headset and looked through the scope of his GSR-5. He lined up the shot, the crosshair following the Commander's head. Nichol breathed in and held it, his finger on the trigger. The moment he exhaled, his finger pulled the trigger.

Down below, the Rebel Commmander didn't even had time to react as the bullet tore through his head. The rest of the platoon stared frozen as their Commander's body fell to the ground. A bloody hole on his forehead. Their frozen state gave Anisette and Marion an opening and opened fire with their LMGs. When the shooting began, Avan and his group opened fire as well. Shook from their stupor by the MG fire, the Rebels quickly ran into cover. A Rebel Scout taking refuge behind some debris with two other Rebels radioed the rest of the company of their situation.

"This is first platoon requesting reinforcements by the church. We are under heavy fire from Lanseal forces. Forces number in the... "

He peeked over to count how many of the Lanseal Cadets were there only for a bullet to run through the side of his head, instantly killing him. The other two Rebels barely had time to react before the second Scout was shot in the head as well. The final Rebel, a Shocktrooper, grabbed the headset from his comrade's corpse.

"We need hel- "

On the second floor of the building next to Anisette's, Anya smirked as she watched the Rebel's body slump to the side. A bloody hole on the side of his head.

"Squad wiped out."

The Soviet Sniper muttered before pulling the bolt of her Mosin-Nagant back, ejecting the spent casing before manually loading in new bullets. As she loaded the final bullet, something from the corner of ger vision caught her eye. Anya raised her rifle and looked through the scope. What she saw made her grimace. Three tanks were rolling towards them. Two Lights and one Medium along with another platoon.

"говно."

Fortunately for them, the Firefly was quick to jump into action. Irina had spotted the second platoon an had already told Lavinia where to aim the turret.

"Take your shot when you see them, comrade." The Soviet Tank Commander said as she eyed the enemy tanks through her binoculars "There are three of them. Two Light Tanks and one Medium Tank."

"Got it. They ain't ready for us."

"Pounder's loaded and ready. Let's blow these horned bastards to Hell."

Lavinia didn't reply as she focused on the target. She saw the Light Tank's turret and adjusted the Firefly's turret a bit before firing. The APCBC round one-shot the first Light Tank before the Firefly turned it's turret to the second one. Said Light Tank was circling around to flank Avan and his group but doing so left it's heat sink open to the Firefly's view.

"Eat this!"

Another shot and another tank bites the dust. The last tank didn't move, however, instead it let the infantry move in. Specifically, the Mortarers. Two Mortarers aimed their weapons at the house Anisette and Franca were in. Before they could fire a shot, the two Mortarers were quickly taken care off by Nichol and Anya. The Medium Tank saw this and aimed it's turret at the bell tower. Thankfully, the Firefly was quick to take action. William drove the tank directly into the direction of the enemy tank, intent on closing the distance. Lavinia, after having the Pounder loaded with a fresh round, fired the main gun before turning it to the side to face the rest of the Rebel platoon. The Firefly smashed into the damaged and smoking tank, stunning the enemy crew inside. Irina, who had traded her binoculars for the Browning M2HB, began sending .50 Cal bullets into the second platoon, suppressing them.

"Don't let up. Keep firing!"

Avan yelled before firing a rifle grenade at a cluster of pinned Shocktroopers. The redhead then aimed his rifle at a Rebel Scout that was trying to flank them from the left. Cosette saw this and joined him in shooting the Scout. James, on the other hand, loaded a fresh clip into his rifle before aiming at the Rebels in the distance. Bloody wankers were everywhere. From the corner of his eye, he saw Anisette and Franca leave the building they were set up just as a Rebel Heavy Scout fired a rifle grenade in the structure. James retaliated by shooting the bloody bint in the head. His eyes then travelled down the road and saw another group of tanks headed their way. Two mediums, one light and one heavy tank that had a much darker red color scheme. The two Medium Tanks aimed their main gun at Marion and Sigrid's building, shooting and forcing the two to retreat to the church. James cursed before facing Avan.

"We're getting overrun. We have to fall back to the church."

"Go. I'll cover you."

"No. We all go. The Firefly will cover us."

And indeed they did. The Sherman Firefly rolled back and used itself to cover the trio with Irina throwing a grenade at any Rebel that got too close. James grabbed the redhead by the shoulder and dragged him towards the church. The blonde Medic not far behind. Meanwhile, Irina ducked back in the Firefly and close the hatch before loading a fresh round in the Pounder. Once done, Lavinia was quick to aim the turret at the closest tank, which was a Medium, and fired. One shot had the Rebel tank smoking but there was still more left. William drove in reverse, making sure that the front of the tank was the only thing they could shoot at and not the rear or side.

But even so, the Heavy Tank managed to move to their flank and fire it's main gun at their rear. This resulted in a major damage to their engine. Even so, William kept driving the tank in reverse until it's rear was covered by the building. The driver got off his seat and quickly moved to check on the engine. What he saw wasn't good.

"Engine's critical. We won't get far without this bint blowing up on us."

"Then fix the fucker!" Irina yelled as she loaded another round into the Pounder.

"Fix the fucker she says." William muttered as he moved to get to work "I didn't fucking break it!"

"Less talking, more fixing!" Lavinia joined in as she fired the main gun and destroyed one of the Medium Tanks.

Meanwhile, Anya kept firing her sniper at the Rebel infantry. Despite knowing her position, the Rebels were busy trying to storm the church. She fired her fifth shot at a Mortarer before reloading. Horned bastards don't know when to give up. The rest of Squad G were in three APCs on the other side of town, doing the best they can to reach the church as fast as possible. Her radio cackled to life and she took cover to hear what the speaker wanted to say.

"Avan, this is Reiner. We're caught up in the west side of town. A Rebel platoon's keeping us busy. It's gonna take longer for us to reach your location."

"Damn it. We'll just have to hold out until Classes A and C get here. Once we link up, we'll head to you."

"Alright. We'll hold out for as long as we ca- Nahum, keep your head down. Damn it!"

Anya cursed and peeked out the window to see how the rest of the squad were faring. The Firefly was firing at the remaining tanks but the Heavy Tank was staying back, letting the rest of the platoon advance towards the church. Anya looked through her scope and aimed her sniper at the Heavy Tank. The hatch on top opened and the enemy Tank Commander popped out, yelling orders at the Rebel infantry to advance. The Soviet Sniper saw her chance and took a deep breath. Lining up the shot, she fired. The bullet sailed through the air and struck the Rebel Tank Commander right between the eyes. She watched with satisfaction as the body slumped back inside the tank while the gathered infantry started looking around for the shooter. The remaining Medium Tank turned it's turret towards her and the Soviet Sniper quickly made a beeline for stairs. The Rebel tank fired it's main gun at the cost if it's life as the Firefly fired a round that destroyed it.

Anya jumped off just as the floor she was in was engulfed in an explosion. She fell to the ground, her ears ringing and her vision blurry. Anya coughed and tried to stand up but only managed to sit against the wall. The Soviet Sniper shook her head to clear her vision before grabbing her sniper rifle. The front door was kicked open and a stick grenade was thrown inside. The grenade landed on her and Anya quickly threw it out. The grenade exploded outside and was quickly followed by screaming. Anya raised her weapon and aimed it at the door, waiting for the horned bastards to come inside.

Back in the church, Anisette and Marion took positions by the window. Setting up their LMGs and provided suppressing fire, keeping the Rebels from getting too close. This, however, made the Rebels throw grenades at the church instead. However, Avan, Zeri and James took it upon themselves to throw or kick the grenades back. On the tank, Irina fired the HMG at the Rebels but soon realized that she was running low on bullets. She dropped down back in the tank and looked at the other two.

"The gun's almost empty."

"I'll take it from here." William stated as he grabbed his STEN gun "Fucker's fixed for now anyway."

William opened the hatch and peeked outside before popping out and firing his SMG. Behind the tank, Avan and James fired at the Rebels with their respective rifles. James took out one of his last two Mills Bombs and threw it at the Rebels. Avan himself just finished firing his last rifle grenade before pulling back to cover. They were running low on ammo and their reinforcements weren't there yet. Damn it, what is taking them so damn long!?

"I'm out!" Zeri yelled as he dropped his SMG and took out his pistol. James noted it looked somewhat like the M1911A1 handgun.

"Damn it. Me too." Avan added as he dropped his rifle and too out his own pistol.

James didn't say a word but simply threw his rifle inside the church and took out a Wembley Mk IV Service Revolver. The three then began shooting their respective handguns at the Rebels, who were slowly advancing. Inside the church, most of the LMGs and rifles had ran dry and were down to only Pistols and handguns. Seeing the decrease in firepower, the Rebels let out a battle cry and charged the church. The Heavy Tank, despite the loss of their Commander, began rolling towards the church. Fortunately, the Firefly fired a round that heavily damaged the hull of the Heavy Tank. The Rebel tank fired back and the round, thankfully, bounced off the front. The Firefly was about to shoot once more but the Rebel tank exploded before they could.

A Medium Tank and a Heavy APC that bear the Lanseal colors rolled in from behind the wrecked Rebel tank before Squads A and C followed. On the front of the new arrivals was one Juliana Everheart. The busty pinkette charged the Rebel infantry, Sword in one hand and a Combat Shield in the other. She was quickly followed by her Squad who opened fire on the enemy. Juliana used her shield to block the shots made by the Rebels before closing the distance between them. Her first victim was a Shocktrooper who unloaded all the bullets in his SMG, all of it bounced off the Combat Shield before reloading. That was all the pinkette needed and ran the Rebel through with her Sword.

Caught between three Lanseal forces, the Rebels moved to retreat but Squad A's tank blocked off their escape route. Using it's main gun and gatling to take out the fleeing Rebels. Squad C's Heavy APC, equipped with a flamethrower, burned any of the Rebels within range. Seeing that the remaining Rebels were about to be taken care of, Juliana decided to go over to Class G to, as always, belittle them... or she would've if she hadn't tripped on a piece of debris. Luckily for her, a certain Darcsen was there to catch her.

James looked on with a small smirk as the blushing pinkette stuttered out insults. The blonde Medic next to him had a knowing smile on her face as she looked at the two arguing teens. James shook his head and turned his head to the side to see Anya limping towards them. Cosette saw it too and immediately went into action, taking out her Ragnaid and started fussing over the Soviet Sniper. Avan stood next to James with a smile on his face.

"It's over. I was starting to think these guys got lost."

"It's not over yet. You still got the rest of your Squad in the west side of town."

"Right. We'll regroup at the church."

"What about them?" James nodded his head towards the arguing duo.

"We'll leave them for now." Cosette answered before Avan could.

"But- "

"They'll be fine. Now go." The blonde Medic dismissed with a wave of ger hand before pushing the redhead towards the church. A funny looking scene considering the height difference between the two. James followed as the others inside the church walked outside and gathered around the Firefly. Speaking of which. William was sitting at the tank's turret, a freshly lit cigarette between his lips. Irina took a seat on the tank's body and she too had a cigarette between her lips. Lavinia was on the hatch, leaning forward as she asked the others if they were okay.

"Are you guys alright? Wounded? Anything?"

"We're alright, Lavinia." Marion answered the 'Big Sister' of Class G.

"Just making sure."

"Alright, guys. Listen up."

Everyone turned their attention to Avan as he walked over to them.

"The rest of our squad is under heavy fire from the last Rebel platoon on the west side of town. I know we can let the other squads handle it but I wanna personally see them safe. Scavenge whatever ammo you can find around. We meet back here in five minutes then we leave. Lavinia." Avan looked up at the Tank Commander "Is the tank good to go?"

"She's fixed. At least, that's what William said."

"She's up and ready to go." The driver nodded "We'll have those bastards running for the hills."

"Alright, you sods. You know what to do. Get some ammo then regroup here. We leave in five minutes."

~Line Break~

Tony hummed to himself as he inspected the contents of the Airborne Supply Package. They set up a Supply Depot next to the RD Building to store the newly acquired weapons. After giving one of every weapon to RD for research that is. They wanted to see if they can make more or even make a training version of them. Something to use for VP Control exercises or other drills. The sun had already set and Class G still hadn't returned yet. He heard that the mission was simply retaking the town from the Rebels. Simple enough if only one Squad was all they needed but Brixhan told him that the other Squads were deployed to the same place. Now he was starting to worry.

"Mr. Castellano, where's the ammo for this thing?"

Tony lowered the M1 Garand and looked to Emilia and saw her aiming the Bazooka at the wall. He raised an eyebrow and did a quick look around. Where was the ammo for the Bazooka? Did the package not include rockets? That's pretty fucking stupid. How the fuck were the boys requesting for the drop supposed to use it if it doesn't have any rockets to shoot with?

"It's gotta be around here somewhere. See if you can find it over there."

"Okay."

Before they could start, however, a knock came from the Supply Depot's door.

"Tony. It's me, Gibs. Class G just came back and they... brought a surprise with them."

Tony raised a brow in wonder before nodding at Emilia.

"Come with me, kid. Time to meet your new friends."

The Paratrooper opened the door and Gibs was standing at the side, looking at the distance. Tony narrowed his eyes to get a better view. A few moments later, a Sherman Firefly cane into view. With some members of Squad G hitched a ride on the tank. Among them was Avan, James and Anya.

"Yo! We're back!" The redhead yelled as he waved at the trio.

"I can see that, Hardins. Jesus, where the hell'd you get this beauty?"

"Same as us, Castellano." Jim replied as the tank stopped in front of the trio and the Tommy jumped down. The two shook forearms before Tony faced Avan.

"Glad to have you back, kid. What happened out there? You all look like shit."

"We were almost done with our mission when the town was bombarded by artillery. We were scattered and Lavinia's tank got knocked out by the barrage. A Mechanized Infantry company entered town once the artilleries stopped. Luckily, the Firefly rolled into town and helped us hold off the Rebels until Squads A and C arrived."

"Sounds like one helluva fight. You okay?"

Avan sighed and cracked his neck.

"It could've gone better. We ran out of ammo just as Juliana arrived. We were down to handguns by then."

"Well, lucky for you. Class D just found an Airborne Supply Package filled with weapons and ammo from Uncle Sam. I'd show it to you but it looks like your Squad needs some goddamn shuteye. I'll show it to you guys tomorrow. Oh! Almost forgot."

Tony turned to Emilia and beckoned her over. The shy blonde walked over and awkwardly waved her hand.

"This here's Emilia Percival. She's a new student who just so happens to be Class G's new classmate."

"Nice to meet you, Emilia. My name's Avan. Avan Hardins."

The redhead held out his hand which Emilia shyly shook.

"Y-You too. I hope you don't mind me just dropping in."

"Hey, no worries. I'll introduce you to the rest of the class tomorrow. We've been through a lot today and they look like they're about to drop on their feet."

"You ain't kidding. Most of your Squad's out like a light."

The two looked to Tony who had his arms crossed as he watched Franca try to wake a sleeping Nichol. Magari was still leaning back on the turret of the tank, quietly snoring away. Sigrid was next to her, asleep as well. Back then, he wouldn't have even thought about sleeping with a Darcsen close but spend enough time with Avan and the rest of the class, it certainly changes one's perspective of things. Marion, funnily enough, was hugging the turret of the tank like a pillow with a dreamy look on her face. Meanwhile, Cosette was doing the best she can to pry the girl off of it. Zeri and, surprisingly, Juliana were still arguing about something. Something Avan had no idea nor did he want to disturb the two. With them occupied, less being yelled at for him. Sofia walked over to him with a yawn, putting extra effort on arching her back to emphasize her assets. Of course, this went way over Avan's head and the Veteran Engineer sighed before simply giving the redhead a kiss on the cheek. Something Avan brushed off as Sofia being too tired, much to her chagrin.

As the rest of his tired and weary Squad made their way to the Lockers to change then to the Dorms to get some sleep, Avan chuckled before turning back to Emilia with a grin.

"Welcome to Class G, Emilia."

* * *

**A/N: I'm back to this story for some reason. I think it's because I'm back to playing CoH2 again. Honestly, I only got back so I can play the Brits and hear the insane amount of profanity they use.**


End file.
